1. Field of the Invention
This invention is concerned with improvements in machines for conforming portions of shoe uppers to the shapes of their corresponding lasts.
2. Prior Art
Various proposals have been made to provide automatic or semi-automatic shoe machines for lasting side portions of shoes which require little or no attention by a machine operator apart from presentation of the shoe and removal of the shoe from the machine. It has been proposed to load and unload machines by an automatic shoe presenting and removing device. Some of the proposed machines employ helically ribbed wiping rolls for wiping marginal portions of an upper of a shoe assembly. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,591,878, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, discloses a shoe machine having independently mounted wiping rolls for performing a side lasting operation simultaneously along the opposite side portions of a shoe assembly. The wiping rolls are displaced widthwise of the shoe assembly in accordance with variations of outline shape of the shoe bottom, utilizing template means for controlling the widthwise displacement of the wiping rolls as they operate progressively along the shoe bottom. The U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,216, also assigned to the assignee of the present invention, discloses a shoe machine having lasting rolls which are arranged to simultaneously wipe marginal portions of opposite sides of the upper of a shoe assembly so that the upper and insole become secured together by adhesive applied therebetween. Means for effecting relative movement lengthwise between the lasting rolls and the shoe supporting means causes the rolls to operate progressively along side portions of the shoe assembly. Each of the lasting rolls has a wiping element disposed helically about a circumferential portion of the roll. The lasting rolls are supported by roll-carrying means that extend at least substantially widthwise of the shoe assembly being operated upon. The roll-carrying means are capable of arcuate movement about an axis extending generally lengthwise of the bottom of the shoe assembly. The side lasting rolls of the machine just referred to are of sufficient length to operate upon the marginal portions of the upper without widthwise displacement of the rolls. The specification of U.S. Pat. No. 3,971,089, again also assigned to the assignee of the present invention, describes a machine which is generally similar but which has means for changing the angle included between the axes of the two lasting rolls at the opposite sides of the shoe to suit it to different transverse curvatures of different portions of the shoe bottom.
Various proposals have been made to combine lasting of a shank portion of a shoe assembly with a heel seat lasting operation on the shoe assembly in a single machine which would effect a reduction of manpower as compared with a two-machine system requiring two operators. While some success has been achieved by the use of the combined machines, the machines have had certain limitations as to the extent of the side lasting operations. Some of the proposals have required a considerable amount of adjustment of the lasting arrangement by the machine operator and are not fully automatic machines.
One of the various objects of the present invention is to provide an improved shoe machine having heel seat lasting and side lasting arrangements which are capable of automatically lasting the whole of the side and seat portions of a shoe assembly heelwardly of the portion lasted by a pulling over and toe lasting machine.